Dug's 1959 Fleetside

[Kim57]

Looks like you've got them to fit pretty good.
Kim

[dug224]

Stich welded in the floor that I cut out to clear the fuel tank. Before welding, I siphoned out about 17 gallons of gas and then dropped the tank. Those plastic tanks are incredibly light weight. Installed the driver seat. Still have to lower the passenger seat so it will not go in for a bit. Will have to weld a nut in the top portion of the rail the front of the seat sits on. I drilled and bolted all the way through the rail for now but the metal is a bit light and collapses if I tighted the front seat bolts. You can actually see it in the last photo. The rear bolts are in single thickness material and will get a large plate to keep them from pulling through. Besides the unusually high brake pedal position, I am real pleased with the location of the seat, pedals and steering wheel.

On a side note, the radiator and fan assembly the LS series out of an '05 to '08 Corvette is the same as the SSR and will fit nicely in the the '59 core support. Found them on Ebay for about $100 each including shipping. Once I triple confirm the dimensions, will get those ordered. Shortening the driveshaft is next.

[Kim57]

Looks good.
I will be curious to see how the radiator and fan works out as i need them also.
Kim

[dug224]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Looks good.
I will be curious to see how the radiator and fan works out as i need them also.
Kim

Kim..could not remember if you were using the original core support nor could I remember which size LS you had. If using the original core support, per my research, the radiator will actually slide inside the radiator opening rather than mounting on the inside face. This will give more room for the fan assembly which, in my case, is critical. I am woefully short of space between core support and engine pulleys. The good news, in my case, is that the lower hose connection point on the radiator is on the side about 6 inches from the bottom. This will clear the crossmember and massive sway bar and I may even be able to use the factory hoses. Top hose is pretty long and twisted. ....by the way, you got me thinking about a little paint for the engine. dug.

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by dug224

Kim..could not remember if you were using the original core support nor could I remember which size LS you had. If using the original core support, per my research, the radiator will actually slide inside the radiator opening rather than mounting on the inside face. This will give more room for the fan assembly which, in my case, is critical. I am woefully short of space between core support and engine pulleys. The good news, in my case, is that the lower hose connection point on the radiator is on the side about 6 inches from the bottom. This will clear the crossmember and massive sway bar and I may even be able to use the factory hoses. Top hose is pretty long and twisted. ....by the way, you got me thinking about a little paint for the engine. dug.

I'm using the original core support. I have a 6.0 LS2. I would think the vette radiator should keep it cool. I also have the engine sitting pretty far back on my clip.
Kim

[ricott]

Your build is looking great. How tight will the pulleys be? If you need an 1 1/2 (or less) you could go with the vette style brackets and save this much space. Your thought about putting the radiator inside the support also seems to be a good solution. If you do this, would that cause problems with the AC condensor? The most drastic solution would be to move the engine back 1 to 2 inches. I know for your build this is probably not an option, but I think the engine could be moved back without causing other problems (oil pan hitting the rack) based on looking at the wifey's Envoy Denali. Thanks again for taking the time to post the build. You are definitely making it a lot easier for anyone who may want to do this in the future.

Ricky

[dug224]

Originally Posted by ricott

Your build is looking great. How tight will the pulleys be? If you need an 1 1/2 (or less) you could go with the vette style brackets and save this much space. Your thought about putting the radiator inside the support also seems to be a good solution. If you do this, would that cause problems with the AC condensor? The most drastic solution would be to move the engine back 1 to 2 inches. I know for your build this is probably not an option, but I think the engine could be moved back without causing other problems (oil pan hitting the rack) based on looking at the wifey's Envoy Denali. Thanks again for taking the time to post the build. You are definitely making it a lot easier for anyone who may want to do this in the future.

Ricky

Looks like I have 2-13/16" from the engine side of the core support to the tip of the threaded portion of the main pulley. It seemed bigger than that until I put a straight edge on it. If I can get reliable thicknesses for the condenser, radiator and fan assembly, I can make a decision. If it all fits inside the core support, it will be a matter of moving the entire assembly forward until it clears the threaded end on the pulley. All I would have to do is remove the cross bracing in front of the radiator and re-engineer that somehow. Once I get the stacked dimensions, I will respond to your condenser comment. If I can change the main pulley and lose the threaded portion, I will gain an inch or so. This may be what you meant by the "Vette style brackets". Not man enough to move the engine back at this time.....I love what the Chevy Engineers have done at the factory. Stay tuned...dug

[ricott]

If the extra room becomes critical, look into the early (1998-2003) camaro style water pump and related accessory drive system. It does not have the treads, and it is 3/4 of an inch closer to the block than the "Truck Style" setup you currently have (you will gain approximately 1 1/2 inches going to this style). Eric and I did the reverse on the gto restomod. We used the truck spacing (which is currently on your engine), and then went with the camaro/corvette waterpump to make routing the hoses easier. To do this you have to purchase a 3/4 inch spacer that pushes the camaro/corvette waterpump out so the pulley lines up with the other truck pulleys. If you think you may want to try this, let me know, I can post pictures of the Camaro/Corvette setup and the truck setup with the spaced outward water pump. Good Luck!

[dug224]

Originally Posted by ricott

If the extra room becomes critical, look into the early (1998-2003) camaro style water pump and related accessory drive system. It does not have the treads, and it is 3/4 of an inch closer to the block than the "Truck Style" setup you currently have (you will gain approximately 1 1/2 inches going to this style). Eric and I did the reverse on the gto restomod. We used the truck spacing (which is currently on your engine), and then went with the camaro/corvette waterpump to make routing the hoses easier. To do this you have to purchase a 3/4 inch spacer that pushes the camaro/corvette waterpump out so the pulley lines up with the other truck pulleys. If you think you may want to try this, let me know, I can post pictures of the Camaro/Corvette setup and the truck setup with the spaced outward water pump. Good Luck!

The good news is that I measured to the wrong side of the straight edge. The actual clear area from the threaded portion of the pulley to the core support is 5-1/16". The bad news is I was misreading the measurements of the miracle Corvette radiator/fan/condenser setup. Turns out the dimensions given are for the core not including the tanks so a 23" wide radiator is actually 28.3". I have 27" between my core support mounted body mounts and frame rails. Will have to head in another direction. Once I figure this out, I may engage you on the pulley discussion above. Did make some positive headway this evening. I took my driveshaft to Clutch Products here in Mobile to have them shorten it by 11-5/8". Also cut the passenger seat legs down by 1-3/4" and got them welded. Should have that seat in the truck by the end of the weekend.

[dug224]

All of the kids were in town and my son hand the brilliant idea that we should tow the truck to the top of the neighborhood and take it on it's maiden voyage. Made multiple runs with only gravity and leg power. Had a blast and the truck handled great! Even bounced it up the ramp on the driveway at speed with the wheels turned and the tires did not hit the body.

MVI 2125 - YouTube

Determined that the '05 to '08 Corvette radiator will fit. Had to trim my core support body mounts a bit. I will have to shave the plastic condenser mounting brackets that are welded to the plastic tanks for it to fit. Leaves me just enough space to mount an after market cooling fan. About 2.5" to work with. May still have to trim the threaded shaft that the old manual fan was mounted to if the fan won't fit. Condenser will be mounted on the other side of the core support.

Passenger seat has been shortened and it will be installed today.

[dug224]

Also got the drive shaft shortened and installed. The guys and Clutch Products here in Mobile did a great job. They even polished the aluminum tube a bit for me.

A few misc. shots of road trip....

[old yelr]

Awesome!! Love the stance and the blackout headlight effect is really cool!

[dug224]

Installed the passenger seat. After I got it installed, I realized the center seam is sewn in an arc rather than straight like the driver seat. Provides the illusion that the seat is in at an angle. Welded nuts flush in the top of the floor beam and bolted them in. I will probably remount these using a piece of 1/8" plate the width of the seat on top of the floor beam. Not real comfortable with how the are currently mounted with regard to pullout during a wreck. Note the passenger seat bracket at the driveshaft is hovering in space where the transmission tunnel belongs. Will have to bend and mount it once the tunnel is in place.

Received my Corvette (fits '08 to '11) radiator tonight. Got it on Ebay for $109 including shipping. Trimmed the four condenser mounting brackets off of the tanks using a wood coping saw and slid it into place. Radiator fits nicely between body mounts and flush on the face of the core support, however, I will have to trim the passenger side mount 1/4" more so the radiator is centered in the core support opening. I have 3-3/8" from the radiator core to the tip of the threaded end on the pulley. That's good news. May even be able to use the Corvette cooling fan. If not, I can always use an aftermarket thin unit. Will purchase radiator hoses next.

[Kim57]

Looking good. That's cool that the radiator fit.
Kim

[dug224]

Fabricated the bottom radiator mounts and got them tacked in place. Used old bed rails. Gotta get some fresh scrape metal. Fabricated one of the top mounts and bolted it in place. Bolts go through the sheetmetal that covers the core support and the top angle iron of the core support. When I tightened it, the sheetmetal distorted so I will have to do some additional work. Factory rubber mounts used for the bottom and a pair of off the shelf grommets used for the top. Radiator is good and tight. Not sure but it may be a bit too tight. Passenger side of the radiator is about 1/8" from the body mount. May trim it a bit next time it is off.

Hitting the wrecking yards trying to find a radiator filler cap assembly and overflow tank. Grabbed a number of old GM hoses and began chopping them up to get cleanest installation. The top hose will be a bit complicated but the bottom one is not.

After the gravity run the other day, I have been distracted by the thought of tacking the bed together and putting it on just to see how it looks. What I really need to do is pull the engine and transmission since, in my hurry to get started, I chose not to install the torque converter or new engine mounts. It will give me the opportunity to finish some of the welds that are currently just tack welds.

[Kabwe]

Looking great man, looking really great. Good work.

[dubie]

great progress. Those seats are going to be killer comfortable

[Wheelie]

COming along great! I love the maiden voyage. lol

[dug224]

Pulled the front clip, engine and transmission so I could install the new motor mounts and torque converter. While I have it apart, I will catch on some blasting and welding.

Fired up the new 110 lb H.F. sandblaster and blasted the core support. Had to buy a deadman for it to turn it into something reliable. Went to the local supply house to buy sand. They don't sell it anymore so I bought some black blast (coal...really). $9 for a 100 lb bag. Had to screen it to get it thru the blaster which took out about 30% of the bag. Used the entire bag on the core support and still had chunks that stopped up the deadman. Got to find something easier to use. Leaves quite a texture which I have not decided is good or bad...yet. Paint will have not problem grabbing on.

Core Support...removed the cross bracing and added an angle iron at the bottom of the verticals. Filled holes and finished many of the welds. Also cleaned up and welded the sway bar gussets to the ends of the frame horns. Remember, I took 12.5" off the ends of the frame horns many months ago. The sway bar on this thing is massive hence the flat cornering in the gravity video.

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[wutnxt]

I just finished ( mostly ) my 58 with a LS 2.....And had it out yesturday for a drive...and nothing but nothing says loving like a LS ....

Great build keep up the great work...

[Task Force Era]

Just went thru all 7 pages of your build Dug. I'm definitely impressed. You got some pretty clean work going on. Gonna be checking this one out on the regular!!

[dug224]

Thanks guys. So, I have been able to log in a bunch of hours. Got the core support finished. With the encouragement of my buddy Jim, I have decided to go a good bit further backwards and get things done that I would have been putting off in my quest to drive it around the neighborhood this winter.

Engine (with new mounts and all accessories) and transmission (with torque converter) are now installed and mounted back in the frame. I picked up two 5 gallon buckets of metric nuts/bolts from my friends at Autoworld here in Mobile. By the way, pretty heavy. I was metric bolt challenged until then. Being able to match sets of bolts has been a life saver. Note the handy hole through the oil pan for tie down purposes. One size fits all in the Trailblazer platform. They appear to all be setup for 2WD and 4WD. The Trailblazer 5.3 is all aluminum and the key difference I believe between it and the truck aluminum LS is the oil pan. I looked back at my receipts. I paid $600 for the engine and $400 for the transmission and they have 60k miles on them. They came out of the same vehicle and I got all of the parts that came on it(including the computer) except the alternator. I did not get the drive by wire gas pedal which I believe I have successfully found and installed. Won't really know until I get the wiring done.

Using the chain mounted to the floor to get the cab off worked well except I did not use enough chain. The hook needs to be further from the floor to keep it from being top heavy. Got a little dicey with it trying to roll over. I ran out of hands doing it myself.

Started on the firewall. Counted over 50 holes, tears, gouges, etc. to fill. Cut the master cylinder plate out of the old '59 frame. The good news is that I get to cover up the hole I cut in the firewall from under the dash for the master cylinder. Was not a pretty hole. The nuts you see are for my pedal assembly struts. The plate and nuts are now welded in place. Since my arms aren't long enough to reach the back of the firewall with my handy copper backer tool, I took one of my H.F. red magnets and filed the edge off to install a piece of flattened 1/2" copper pipe. Bent it into an "L" shape and put a bolt through it to attach it to the magnet. Will use it today and photograph it if it works.

So far, based on some advice from an old timer, I have used wood cutting hole saws to cut several holes in some pretty heavy plate. Mounted the plate to a piece of wood that is in the vice mounted on the drill press table. Used alot of oil and have been able to reuse the blade more than once. I have a drawer full of them (for 20 years) from my Dad's estate so I had nothing to lose.

Ended up with 6 bags of glass beads for my blaster. Got two bags for free since they were torn and paid $10 each for the other 50 lb bags since they did not have the proper markings on the bag for retail to businesses. They are said to retail for $27 per bag. Will attempt to collect it and rescreen it if I can bring myself to use it. Also dried and screened a bunch of Home Depot playground sand I had laying around.

[Wheelie]

Wow! Your making a lot of headway. Keep it going!

[Kim57]

Nice progress. The radiator came out nice.
Kim